log; in progress

[i-themagician.livejournal.com]

When; Friday, July 4th, early morning
Rating; PG
Characters; Clow Reed (i_themagician) and Lucy Saxon (cathedralgirl)
Summary; After the previous night's nasty argument, Lucy ambushes Clow at his apartment and drags him off for a walk.
Log;

Clow woke up without the aid of an alarm, but with the slight hurry and apparent sense of purpose of one who has an early appointment. Yet, it wasn't until after he had bathed, when he was putting on his trousers, that he realized that he was to have company - and that he should wear good shoes for walking. Ten minutes prior to her arrival he knew that it was Lucy, and if he thought about it at all he could even have known what sort of drink she'd be bringing.

Still, he didn't know why.

The moments before she arrived summarized their friendship perfectly; when she couldn't surprise him, she at least kept him guessing. As much as he wasn't too pleased with her right now, he hoped that she'd always do that to him even once they got to know each other better and perhaps even after she ceased to consider him a friend anymore.

He turned the handle just as she would have been raising her hand to knock at the door, opening it and looking - but not looking like he's looking - for any expression of shock or surprise, as brief and subtle as it might be. It was habit, really; his expression was neither pleased nor disdainful at her, just blank as if he wasn't yet sure whether or not he was liking this.

"... Lucy." And there was a slight nod of the head, in greeting, but he really expected her to be the first to talk. She had come to him, after all.

Comments

[inbetrayal.livejournal.com]

There was, in fact, no surprise on her face as she lowered her hand- well, a small amount, but it was less a look of surprise and more one communicating something like "Oh, well, there's that theory confirmed". She handed a slightly steaming paper cup over to him (the other held precariously in the crook of her arm to free her hand for knocking).

"Coffee, and you should feel grateful I'm even here, given that I'm technically supposed to be on bed rest right now."

Thus indicating the complete lack of injury on her part.

[i-themagician.livejournal.com]

"Thank you." His expression softens a little after he takes the cup, but it's not because of the coffee. It might be because of her, but he sure as hell isn't going to admit that to himself.

"I can't fathom why you're here at this hour, but do come in," he says, moving out of the doorway and gesturing for her to enter.

[inbetrayal.livejournal.com]

And, he gets a silent nod in reply, and a careful as-subtle-as-possible scrutiny of his expression, noting the slight change with- what? Relief? Pleasure? She's not sure she knows.(She's trying, at the least. Shouldn't that be worth something? You fight, you bitch at each other, someone gets hurt- mentally or physically- and then one of the two makes an attempt to get over the stick in their ass and fix it. She's not used to it, but she's trying.)

"I thought we could walk a bit, since, you know-"

An awkward jerk of the head.

"-legs."

[i-themagician.livejournal.com]

Clow has noticed that she tries, and this isn't the first time. Yet, the words to tell her that he appreciates how much she tries never come out - they get stuck in that place between his brain and his mouth, along with so many other things.

When she points out her legs he looks down - and then looks back up to her face with an embarrassed smile on his face. How could he be so oblivious?

Oh, yes. Same way that he has always been so oblivious. He was too wrapped up in the question of what Lucy was doing here in the first place to notice that she was standing.

"I thought you seemed taller," he says lamely. She must have had that done last night - but there would be time to ask about it later. "A walk sounds lovely in either case."

With that, he'll step out of the apartment, closing and locking the door behind him.

[inbetrayal.livejournal.com]

There's a twitch of a smile at that- the small amusement at another's embarrassment (-well. visible as such, but perhaps changed underneath- it is possible to hide, she knows this), a small cruelty in most circumstances but here is a marker of something rather kin to affection- or as close as she can get to it, at the least.

So, she follows him out, lagging behind (rather purposefully, in fact, but she'd never admit that- she'd rather blame it on the ever-so-slightly atrophied muscles and, in fact, use it as an excuse) until they're out in open air. Takes out a cigarette (fumbling one-handed, clumsy of her), lights, smokes (one a day, not a chain-smoker but she has to admit, it helps if she's stressed and so sometimes- every so often- she'll go over). Deliberates.

"...I'm not exactly used to this, you realize."

Barely even a fraction of what she'd like to say- not a lead-in to spilling more secrets, nor a cry for pity, but- it's about as short an explanation as she can give him, all the words unsaid between. She doesn't want to have to say any more.

[i-themagician.livejournal.com]

The problem with the 'atrophied leg muscles' excuse is that Clow is the sort who will slow down to accommodate, potentially even after you've told him not to - which he does, now. He'd much rather walk abreast of her; even though he dislikes the odor of cigarettes most of the time, it's okay if it's Lucy just like how opium is okay if it's Yuuko. He wasn't aware before that Lucy smoked, of course, but he is not taken aback by it - everyone has a vice, unhappy people doubly so.

"I know." It warms him somewhat that he has the privilege of being one of the few and the first to get her to open up even a little, although he'd never admit to quite such sentimentality. Perhaps some of it is selfish, too - everyone has a special place in their heart for firsts. Sure, maybe this means that she'd make mistakes, but she wouldn't be able to hurt him, not yet. Besides, he'd make some, too.

"I'm not used to having to compromise, either."